Matrix assisted pulsed laser deposition of light emitting polymer thin films

Matrix assisted laser processing allows for the deposition of functional and fragile materials with a minimum of breakdown and decomposition. In this communication we report on light emitting thin films of ruthenium tris(bipyridine)-centered star-shaped poly(methyl methacrylate), Ru(bpyPMMA(2))(3)(PF6)(2), grown by matrix assisted pulsed laser deposition. A pulsed excimer laser (KrF) operating at 248 nm was used for all experiments. Due to the absorption at 248 nm and the solubility characteristics of [Ru(bpyPMMA(2))(3)](PF6)(2), dimethoxy-ethane (DME) was used as a solvent [1]. Dilute solutions (2 wt. %) of [Ru(bpyPMMA(2))(3)](PF6)(2) and DME were flash frozen in liquid nitrogen producing a solid target. Thin films ranging from 20 to 100 nm were grown on Si in an Ar atmosphere at 200 mTorr at a laser fluence of 0.04 J/cm(2). The deposited materials were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) equipped with refractive index (RI), and ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) detection.